


Goodbye Isn't Forever

by sterekdestiel21



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent John Winchester, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, Depressed Castiel, Depressed Dean, Firefighter Dean Winchester, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, High School AU, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Lawyer Sam Winchester, Lost Love, Mutual Pining, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Writer Castiel (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:00:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28435020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterekdestiel21/pseuds/sterekdestiel21
Summary: Cas left him on a Thursday. Dean doesn’t know why he still remembers that. It had been so many years ago, but that day was still fresh in his mind. Cas had left Dean on a Thursday and had never tried to speak with him again.Castiel returns to Lawrence after a decade of exploring as much of the world as he could, when he receives news that his younger sister, Anna, got into a fatal car accident. When he finds out that the person who rescued her was no other than Dean Winchester, Cas knows that he will have to confront his childhood best friend after all this time and face the mistake he made all those years ago.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, John Winchester/Mary Winchester, Minor or Background Relationship(s), minor Dean Winchester/Benny Lafitte, past Castiel/Balthazar (Supernatural)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Goodbye Isn't Forever

**Author's Note:**

> I will try and update this fic as often as I can, and I will give forewarning as some chapters may be drier than others, depending on what occurs in them. Feedback is always appreciated in the comments, and I will try and make the next chapter a bit more interesting (I struggled a lot with this beginning)

The news that a family was moving into the abandoned house at the end of the street had been no secret to the locals. The arrival of a moving van and a beige Lincoln Continental only served to confirm the announcement, both parked in front of the battered home. In the peak of its time, the house had been a pearl white shade, with the window frames painted a glossed black that would glimmer in the sunlight. The garden had once blossomed with an array of flowers that had been tenderly nurtured by the inhabitants, attracting the attention of passer-bys and any stranger who drove along the street on the way out of town. It had once been the most attractive house on the street, but after the passing of its latest resident last year, it had been neglected and rundown.

Mary watched from the kitchen window as the new family and workers began moving cardboard boxes from the vehicles and into the house. She had just put baby Sam down for his afternoon nap, and little Dean was eagerly helping himself to a plate of freshly baked cookies that were cool enough to be handled by the four-year-old. From her spying, Mary had counted two children that could be potential friends for her eldest son – an older boy with long, brown locks who seemed to be constantly chewing on a lollipop, and a boy who appeared to be a similar age to Dean, whose face was hidden behind a mess of black hair. Their mother seemed uninterested in what the two boys were doing, her figure making occasional appearances to help who seemed to be the husband with some of the smaller boxes. Neither parent seemed to care over the fact that their youngest was playing awfully close to the road, or that the other boy was pinching things from the car and dropping them around the yard.

Mary turned around when she felt a soft tug at the bottom of her dress. Looking down, she smiled at Dean, who was trying to balance the now empty plate in his hand.  
“Were those nice?” Mary chuckled, picking up a paper towel and wiping at her son’s mouth. Dean nodded, handing the plate over to his mother and raising his hands in the air, signaling to be picked up. Once the plate had been put by the sink, Mary crouched down as she lifted the four-year-old and balanced him on her hip, “Shall we go say hello to the new neighbours?” She asked, her smile broadening as Dean coiled his little hand around her finger. The boy nodded eagerly, shifting excitedly in his mother’s grip. 

Mary walked over to the crib in the living room, leaning over and checking that Sam was asleep. She picked up the second baby monitor, attaching it to her belt before carrying Dean out of the front door and towards the moving van. As they approached, the older son of the new family noticed them, running over to his mother and mimicking what Dean had done to get Mary’s attention in the kitchen. The other woman glanced over in the direction of the two approaching neighbours, her lips piercing into a small smile as she walked towards them.

“Hello there!” Mary said warmly, tightening her grip on Dean as he fidgeted, “We saw the moving van and thought it’d be nice to help you get settled in. I’m Mary, and this is my eldest son, Dean.” She raised the hand that Dean was clutching, waving it so that it looked like Dean was waving too.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you two. I’m Naomi, and that,” The other woman pointed to the brown-haired boy, “is my son, Gabriel. And over there,” she turned again, signalling towards the other boy by the van, “is our youngest, Castiel.”  
Gabriel hopped over to the adults, prodding Dean’s leg, “You’re small.”  
Dean shyly hide his face in the crook of his mother’s neck, tugging tighter on her dress.  
“Don’t be shy, Dean. Go say hello,” Mary smiled, bending her knees so that she could safely put her son on the ground. He immediately clung to her legs, keeping a barrier between himself and the older boy.  
“He’s funny, Momma,” Gabriel remarked, pulling a piece of wrapped candy from his pocket and offering it to Dean, “Here.”  
Mary nudged her son towards the extended hand, smiling reassuringly at him as he reached to take the candy. Before Dean could react, Gabriel grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the two women, “Come on, you’ll love Cassie!”  
Dean glanced back at his mother in desperation, his eyes tearing up fearfully. He turned around when Gabriel cleared his throat, announcing that they were by the other boy, “Cassie, this is Dean, our neighbour.”

The other boy glanced up from where he was crouched on the sidewalk, a pointed stick in his hand. The first thing Dean noticed about him were the striking blue eyes that the raven-haired boy had, surrounded by sun kissed freckles on his cheeks and nose. He was wearing a loose plaid shirt and dirty shorts, his shoelaces untied.  
“H-Hi,” Dean stuttered, managing to rip his arm out of Gabriel’s grip and extending it out to the other boy, “I’m Dean.”  
“I heard,” the boy replied bluntly, earning himself a slap on the arm by his older brother.  
“Be nice, Cassie,” Gabriel scowled, looking back at Dean, “How old are you?”  
“I’m four and three quarters!” Dean said proudly, pushing his chest out, “Sammy is almost six months old.”  
“Who’s Sammy?” Gabriel asked, swirling the lollipop that was hanging in the corner of his mouth.  
“My little brother. Mommy thinks he’ll have the same coloured hair as me!”  
“Brown is a common hair colour,” Castiel remarked, continuing to prod at the loose gravel on the road with his stick. Gabriel rolled his eyes, “Don’t mind Cassie here. He’s never been good with talking to other people. He’ll probably be in your class at school, Deano - he’s four too.”  
Dean looked excitedly at the other boy, “That’s cool! I could show you all my friends and the classroom and the playground and-”  
“I don’t want that,” Castiel interrupted, glaring over at him, “I don’t want to go to school here. I want to go back home.”  
Gabriel sighed, “I know, Cassie, but Dad has a new job here and we all had to move with him. At least here we have a backyard. I bet we can get Dad to buy a beehive or something!”  
That seemed to catch the younger boy’s attention, “We can grow bees?”  
“Yeah! And we can make our own honey too! How does that sound?”

Dean was surprised at how quickly Castiel’s attitude had changed. He was now standing up in front of them, hopping from one foot to the other as though he had too much energy to stay still, “We could get honey bees and bumblebees!”  
“Yeah! But we have to show that we will be good boys first, don’t we?”  
Castiel tilted his head partly, his eyes squinting in confusion, “How do we do that?”  
“By being nice to our new neighbours, like Deano here,” Gabriel replied, putting his hand on Dean’s shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. Dean was too busy watching Castiel to bother getting out of the older boy’s grip. Castiel dropped the stick, reaching his hand forward, “I’m Castiel.”  
Dean politely accepted the hand, shaking it gently before putting his hand back by his side, “Hi,” he whispered shyly.  
“Do you like bees too?” Castiel asked, his eyes glinting with excitement. Dean felt his cheeks reddening, “I don’t really know much about bees.”  
“Oh.”  
“But I love honey!” Dean blurted, noticing the look of disappointment now on Castiel’s face, “Honey is really yummy on pancakes.”  
“See? This isn’t too hard Cassie,” Gabriel smiled, letting go of Dean’s shoulder, “I’m gonna go help Dad unpack,” he announced as he walked away. Neither of the younger boys acknowledged his departure, both of them being more fixated on their discussion.  
“Honey is better than sugar in tea,” Castiel began, “it is also a lot healthier. That’s what Momma says.”  
“Mommy doesn’t let me have tea yet - she says it makes your teeth go all yellow.”  
“That’s stupid,” Castiel declared, picking up the stick again, “Momma said tea is good for you as it has good things in it.”  
“Oh,” Dean replied, lowering his gaze shyly. Castiel grasped onto his arm, “Let’s ask Momma if tea does make your teeth yellow.”

Before Dean could retaliate, he was being dragged back towards the grownups. He realised that there was a short man standing beside the woman who must’ve been Castiel’s Momma.  
“Dad, does tea make your teeth yellow?” Castiel yelled, keeping a firm hold of Dean’s arm. The short man glanced down at the two boys, “Castiel, what did we say about wanting to talk when we already are?”  
“To wait until you’re ready to listen,” the black-haired boy huffed. His father nodded, “Then wait until we are done having our conversation.”

Dean looked over at his mother, noticing how Mary was standing with her arms crossed over her chest. She seemed less tense than she usually was, making the little boy happy. If his mom liked the new neighbours, he could hang out with Castiel more. And even though the boy was slightly peculiar, Dean was starting to grow fond of him and his quirkiness.  
“We would love to have you all round for dinner at some point,” Mary offered, “It's been a while since we had guests over.”  
“Once we are all moved in and unpacked, I’m sure we could arrange for that,” Naomi replied, her lips still pierced in a petite smile. 

Castiel was growing impatient of waiting, tapping his foot on the sidewalk to try and get his parents’ attention. Dean looked around, confused as to where Gabriel had gone. He thought he had seen the older boy go into the house with a packet of candy, but he hadn’t reappeared yet.  
“What did you want to ask, Castiel?” The man said, looking down at the two boys.  
“Does tea make your teeth yellow?”  
Naomi and Mary glanced over at the children, “What makes you say that?” Naomi asked.  
“Dean says it does,” Castiel replied.  
“Some types of tea do, yes,” She answered, “But the type we let you have doesn’t.”  
“So we’re both right?” Castiel asked, letting go of Dean’s arm and crossing his own over his chest in annoyance.  
“I suppose so.”

The little boy huffed, swirling his body slightly so that his back was partly to Dean, “I wanted to be right.”  
Dean wandered over to Mary, clinging onto her leg like a little bear. She reached down and ruffled his sandy hair, “How would you feel about the Novaks coming around for dinner soon?”  
Dean peered up at his mother with his emerald eyes, “Like tomorrow?”  
She chuckled as she replied, “Maybe not that soon, but perhaps next week?”  
“Yeah!” He joyfully cheered, skipping over to Castiel, “Did you hear?”  
The raven-haired boy nodded, not looking at him.  
“Where are your manners, Castiel?” The man scowled, putting his large hand on the boy’s shoulder, “You know not to be rude.”  
“Sorry Dad,” he mumbled, peering over his shoulder, “I’ll see you next week at dinner then,” he said before running inside the house, leaving Dean with the grownups.

Mary clapped her hands together, getting her son’s attention, “Right, I think it’s probably time for us to head back. We left baby Sam at home and he’ll need feeding soon.”  
“Will Sammy get to meet Castiel?” Dean asked, returning back to Mary’s side.  
“I’m sure he would love to meet your new friend,” she replied, looking back at the couple, “Will that be all right?”  
The two exchanged looks before Naomi spoke up, “I don’t see why not, so long as it isn’t too much trouble for you?”  
“Of course not!” Mary said, raising her hand up, “It’s not trouble at all. Just let us know when you’ll be coming round and we can sort food out.”  
“Can we make something with honey, Mommy?”  
The man laughed deeply, surprising Dean with how low the noise was, “Castiel spoke of his bee obsession then?”  
Dean nodded, “He wanted to grow honey bees and bumblebees!”  
Mary smiled down at her son, ruffling his hair again, “I’m sure I can find a recipe that uses honey.” She looked up at the two Novaks as she waved, “We will see you soon!”

Holding onto Dean’s hand, she walked them both back to their home as the Novaks continued carrying boxes into the house.  
“Did you like the new boys, Dean?”  
“Gabriel has lots of energy,” Dean remarked, “Castiel isn’t good at talking to others.”  
“It just takes some people longer to get used to new people, that’s all,” Mary replied, “I’m sure it’s very scary for him to be in a new place.”  
“Oh,” Dean looked down as he walked, his brows furrowing, “I will do everything I can to make him happy.”  
“That’s very kind of you, sweetie.”  
“We can bake him honey cookies for dessert! And we can pour honey all over them too!”  
Mary chuckled as they reached their front door, “Maybe when the time is nearer.”

She pushed against the door, being careful to not make much noise. There was no sound coming from the crib, Sam was still fast asleep. Dean followed behind her as she entered the hallway, “Why don’t you go to your room and make something for your new friend?”  
“Okay!” Dean replied excitedly, running up the stairs and into his bedroom. He rummaged through the arts and crafts drawer in the corner of the room, pulling out his favourite pack of crayons and a couple of pieces of card. As delicately as he could, he began drawing a blue flower in the middle of a piece of green card. He coloured in each petal with a different shade of blue, adding yellow specks in the centre and then yellow dots all around the wonky flower. He picked up the black crayon, sticking his tongue out as he drew black stripes on the patches of yellow and putting little lines at one end of each dot, making dozens of buzzing bees on the card. 

Once he was satisfied with the front of the card, he skilfully folded it in half, and opened it up. Grabbing a blue gel pen, he tugged the lid off and began writing inside the card:

To Casseel,  
I realy hope we will be the bestest of frends at skool and we will play evry day and we stay frends wen we get old.  
From Dean

Dean smiled as he finished writing. He carefully placed it on top of his clothes drawer, folding it and putting his clock on top of it so it would stay flat. He wandered over to his window, clambering up onto the stool that his mother had put there for him. He peered out, watching as Castiel helped his brother carry some of the bigger boxes into the newly bought house. They both seemed to be happy, smiling as they talked about whatever it is that brothers talk about. Dean silently hoped that he would be an awesome big brother like Gabriel was to Castiel - he wanted to be there for Sammy and annoy him too. He had tried that earlier, being a big brother, but he had been told off for bothering Sammy whole he tried to nap, and that was something you weren’t meant to do with a newborn baby.

The front door boomed open, announcing the arrival of John Winchester. John was known in town for his responsibilities down at the mechanics, working alongside a gruff man who was basically Dean’s uncle, Bobby Singer. Whilst John was helpful to the townspeople for his occupation, it was common knowledge that John had an underlying alcohol addiction, spending most of his evenings so drunk he would forget everything the next day. Dean had managed to avoid interacting with his drunk father, but he was aware of how different he was, and how frequent his father was getting wasted earlier in the evening.

From the sounds of it, John was already pretty closed to being drunk, his footsteps heavy on the wooden floor in the hallway. Dean could hear Mary sorting out Sammy’s food and her gentle voice talking to her husband. Dean bolted down the stairs, colliding into his father with a welcoming hug, “Daddy!”  
“Dean!” John chuckled, easily picking up his eldest and swirling him above his head, “What have you been up to today?”  
Dean had to pinch his nose to stop the suffocating smell of alcohol burning his nostrils, pretending to be wiping at his face to cover it, “We met the new neighbours! They have two boys and they’re both really cool!”  
“New neighbours eh? Are the parents decent?”  
“Naomi and Chuck Novak were very pleasant to chat with,” Mary interjected, walking into the hallway bouncing Sammy on her hip, “They’ll be coming over for dinner next week.”

John nodded, putting Dean back down. He rubbed his hand over his tired face before trudging into the kitchen, leaving his family in the hallway. Sammy began gurgling as he finished his milk bottle, Mary carrying him back to his crib and settling him down. Dean followed, peeking between the bars to watch as his little brother squirm before curling up and falling back into a deep slumber.

“He sleeps a lot,” Dean remarked, his brow furrowed in disappointment. He hadn’t realised how little time he would be able to spend with Sam when he first arrived.  
“He’s still a baby, sweetie. It’ll be a while until you’re able to play with him like I know you’re wanting to do.”  
Dean sighed, glancing up at his mother, “Can I watch TV?” 

Mary nodded, sitting down on the nearest couch and patting the empty space beside her, beckoning the little boy to clamber next to her. Once Dean was settled nestled into her side, she switched on the television to a nature documentary, not wanting to put on anything too loud in case it woke up the sleeping baby. She could feel her son slowly entering sleep, his grip on the side of her dress loosening and his small head dropping into her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling at him in adoration. From where she was sitting, Mary could see out the window that the two neighbour boys were playing in their front yard, both armed with sticks. She smiled brighter, silently hoping that she would be able to watch her little boys playing like that when Sam was older. Pulling her sleeping son closer to her, Mary rubbed his back, leaning deeper into the couch and closing her eyes.  
John peeked his head around the corner of the doorway, smiling as he saw his sleeping family. He returned his attention back to the kitchen, picking up a chilled bottle of beer from the fridge and downing it, continuing his evening drinking.

-

It had taken the Novaks a few days to finish moving in. The once-full cardboard boxes were now folded and piled on the curb outside the house, alongside a couple of large trash bags next to a full trash can. Despite being neighbours, Dean hadn’t talked to Castiel since their first interaction, neither attempting to make the first move. Naomi had popped by the previous morning, accepting the offer to have dinner at the Winchester household the following evening. When Mary had told her eldest son, Dean jumped up in excitement, throwing his hands up as he struggled to stay still, “Can Castiel stay for a sleepover?” He pleaded, gripping onto Mary’s shirt to get her attention, “I promise to be quiet so Sammy can still sleep.”  
“We will have to ask his mother, but I don’t see why not,” she replied, ruffling up Dean’s sandy hair before returning her attention to preparing a slow-roast.  
“Does he like pie?”

Mary chuckled at the obscure question. Of course, that was the deeming question that would decide whether Dean would remain friends with the boy - it had come as a shock to Mary when she discovered her son’s adoration for pie. Cherry pie was Dean’s favourite flavour, closely followed by apple and pecan.  
“I don’t know that, sweetie. You’ll have to ask him when they arrive this evening.”  
“I hope he does lie pie,” Dean mumbled, ducking his head out of his mother’s reach, “Will there be honey?”  
Mary smiled brighter, looking down at him, “Of course there will be.”

He ran up the stairs into his bedroom, standing in front of his drawer. He hadn’t touched the card for his new neighbour since having finished it, the blue paper still underneath the clock. Delicately, he pulled it out from under the clock, holding it carefully in his hands. Turning around, he sprinted down the stairs, throwing it into his mother’s face, “Look what I made!”  
“It looks gorgeous, sweetie!” She replied, crouching down and carefully skimming her finger over the cover, “Are you going to give it to him tonight?”  
Dean nodded excitedly, turning the card around so that he could look at the front, “Do you think he’ll like it?”  
“It’s a very pretty card, I’m sure Castiel will love the effort you’ve put into it.”  
The boy squealed happily, putting the card on the dining table, “Can I help with dinner?”

Mary glanced around the kitchen, scratching at her chin in contemplation, “The roast is in the oven, what vegetables would you like?”  
Dean pulled a face of disgust, scrunching his nose up and shaking his head, “I hate vegetables!”  
“They’re good for you,” Mary chuckled, “Now, corn or peas?”  
He huffed, biting his bottom lip, “Peas.”  
Nodding her head, Mary walked over to the freezer, taking out the ripped bag of greens. Dean waited by the dining table, tapping his fingers against the wooden frame of a chair as he watched as his mother masterfully moved around the kitchen. As a pot of water was being filled in the sink, she switched on the stove, flames flickering underneath the gas hub. 

“Where’s Daddy?”  
Mary paused, looking over her shoulder at the boy. She sighed, “He’s gone out.”  
“So he won’t be here to meet Castiel?” Dean lowered his head in disappointment, blinking furiously to stop any tears forming in his eyes. When he glanced back up, Mary was crouched in front of him, cupping his cheeks, “Don’t be upset, sweetie. There’ll be plenty of times for your father to meet your new friend.”  
Dean nodded, brushing the back of his hand over his eyes. Mary stood back up, brushing down her crumpled jeans, then resting her hands on her hips, “Now, let’s make sure everything’s ready for their arrival.”

-

Dean sat on the couch closest to the front window, staring out. At the sight of four shadows heading towards the door, he bolted out of the room, yelling “They’re here! They’re here!”  
“Wait for me to open the door first, sweetie,” Mary called from the kitchen, picking up the baby from his crib. The noise of his older brother squealing had awoken Sam, his immediate response to shriek back happily. Their mother grinned as she carried the baby to where his brother was hopping from one foot to the other, keeping a safe distance from the door. As soon as Mary unlocked the door and opened it, his little hand reached out, snatching Castiel’s arm and dragging him in, “Hi Castiel!”  
The raven-haired boy tore his arm away from Dean’s grip, his eyes glaring at him, “Why did you pull me?”  
“Oh, sorry.”  
Castiel huffed, rubbing at his arm, where a red handprint was beginning to form.  
“Come in, come in,” Mary beckoned, stepping out of the way to allow the other three Novaks into the house. Naomi smiled as she noticed baby Sam, who was rubbing at his eyes tiredly, “What a sweet little angel you have there,” she cooed, dangling her fingers in front of the baby’s face to catch his attention, “Hello there, precious.”  
“This is Sam,” Mary introduced, holding onto her youngest’s arm and raising it enough to not cause him discomfort. Naomi’s smile grew larger as she stroked his cheek, “He’s gorgeous.”  
“Easy now love,” Chuck smirked, putting his hand on his wife’s shoulder, “Don’t forget you have your own little angels.”  
To make a point, Gabriel waved at his mother, whistling as he did, “Yoo hoo!”  
“Don’t do that,” Naomi scowled, “that’s rude.”  
The boy dropped his head, sulking, “Sorry Mom.”

Sam squealed, pointing over to where Dean and Castiel were standing by the dining table. Castiel was holding the card Dean had made him, his brows furrowed as he concentrated on reading. Dean, beside him, was reddening in the face, fidgeting with his fingers as he waited for Castiel to finish.  
“You spelt my name wrong,” Castiel remarked. Dean blushed more, cowering at the mistake, “I’m sorry, you never showed me how to spell it.”  
“Momma says it’s easier to write ‘Cas’ instead of my full name,” Castiel replied, “My friends used to call me Cas before we moved.”  
“Can I call you that?” Dean asked shyly.  
“If we’re going to be friends, I suppose so.”  
“Awesome!” Dean shouted, jumping up and down, “I can’t wait to show you everything!”

Gabriel walked over to the two boys, making his presence known by hitting the back of his brother’s head. Castiel instantly turned to face him, scowling as he rubbed where he’d been struck, “Why did you do that?”  
Gabriel shrugged, “Was bored.”

The parents followed behind, Mary placing Sam in his baby seat and handing him a bottle of warm milk to gulp down. Castiel and Dean sat in the seats on one side of the baby, Naomi and Chuck sitting on the other side. Mary walked back into the kitchen, bringing out a large oven dish full of roasted meat and potatoes, before going back out to retrieve the bowl of peas. As she served everyone a decent portion of food, Castiel kept a hold of the card, occasionally glancing down at it. Dean seemed to notice, smiling over how much his friend liked the present. 

Once everyone had tucked into their food, the atmosphere in the room calmed, everyone happily feasting on the wonderful food that had been served. Gabriel was the first one to finish his food, using the back of his sleeve to wipe at his food-covered mouth.  
“This was truly delicious,” Naomi commented, patting the corner of her mouth with a napkin. Chuck nodded in agreement, finishing the last mouthful of meat and placing his cutlery neatly on the empty plate.  
“I’m glad you all liked it,” Mary smiled, picking up Sam from his seat and resting him on her lap. She began patting at his back soothingly as he squirmed and gurgled. Dean and Castiel finished at the same time, trying to mimic how their parents had arranged their cutlery, ending up making a chorus of noise as metal clanged on the ceramic plates.  
“Dean, can you help me clear away?” Mary kindly asked, her eldest jumping out of his seat and picking up his plate. As precariously as possible, he carried it into the kitchen, making repeated trips until all the dishes had been cleared away. Mary stood up from her seat, carrying Sam over to his crib and laying him down, pulling the blanket over him as his eyes began to close.  
“He is such a well-behaved baby,” Naomi said, standing up from her seat. The other Novaks followed, pushing in their chairs.  
“Would you like anything else?” Mary offered, “Tea? Coffee? Any dessert?”  
“I think it would be best if we get going,” Chuck replied, “We have to get up early to sort out some documents down at the town hall.”  
“It has been wonderful coming over,” Naomi said, brushing down her floral shirt and looking down at her shoes, “We must return the offer sometime.”  
Mary raised her hands, “There’s no rush, it’s the least we could do for our new neighbours.”  
Dean approached the other boy, “Would you like to play in my bedroom?”  
Castiel turned to look at him, squinting his eyes, “We’re leaving.”  
“Oh.”  
Gabriel slapped his brother’s arm, pushing him towards his friend, “Cassie don’t be rude.”  
“But Dad said we were leaving-”  
“Maybe some other time, Castiel?” Naomi offered, walking over to her sons, “It is best that we get going now though,” She turned to face the other woman, “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”  
“Anytime,” Mary smiled. Dean took a step away, bowing his head to hide his blushing cheeks. His mother pulled him to her side, giving his arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance.  
Chuck headed towards the door first, his children and wife following closely behind. Mary and Dean waited by the front door, waving as the new neighbours began walking away.  
“Don’t be strangers!” Mary called out, waiting until the family had arrived at their front yard before closing the door. Dean sighed against her, his head still lowered, “Did I do something wrong, Mommy?”  
“What makes you say that?” She asked, pulling him closer to her side.  
Dean sniffled, wiping his hand over his nose, “Cas didn’t want to go to my bedroom.”  
Mary gazed down at her boy sympathetically, giving his shoulder another comforting squeeze, “Well there’ll be another time, don’t worry sweetie.”  
“What if he doesn’t want to stay friends?”  
“Then he’ll be missing out,” She replied, guiding him up the stairs to his bedroom, “You’ll both be in the same class at school, he’ll want to be your friend.”  
“What if he makes other friends?”  
“You have other friends too, sweetie. Remember Charlie and Jo? They’re your friends too, aren’t they?”  
Dean nodded, clambering onto his bed and wriggling under the blanket, “Will we have the same friends?”  
Mary perched herself on the edge of the bed, running her hand through his short hair, “Maybe, or maybe Castiel will find someone else to be his friend too. You don’t have to have everything the same as him.”

Exhaustion was beginning to overcome the little boy, his eyes closing as he sighed at the feeling of his mother stroking his head. Mary waited until soft snores escaped Dean’s slightly open mouth before getting off the bed and making her way back downstairs. She glanced up at the clock in the hallway, sighing at how late it was. There was still no sign of John returning, the car not parked in front of the house. 

Mary picked up her sleeping baby, slowly walking back up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Once she placed Sam into the comfier crib next to her bed, she prepared herself for sleep, climbing into bed and switching off the bedroom lamp. Laying down, she stared up at the ceiling, her ears perked to listen for the click of the front door.  
Nothing.  
Turning to face her sleeping baby, Mary smiled softly, reaching her hand over so that she was touching one of the bars, guarding her child. Like her sons, sleep overran her body, as she lapsed into a dreamless slumber, her mind only thinking of what tomorrow would hold. 

Meanwhile, Dean lay in his bed, his snores becoming deeper as he spiralled into dreams of playing with his new friend in the front yard. They were both surrounded by bees of different sizes and colours, blue bees buzzing loudly in their ears as they poked the hive with sticks. Cas was giggling quietly as he prodded the nest, licking the honey that was accumulating on one end.  
“You’re not meant to eat honey raw, Cas!” Dean shouted, continuing to poke at the hive.  
“How else are you meant to eat it?” He retaliated, his eyes squinting in that cute way that he had been doing when they first met.  
“On cookies, or pancakes or waffles.”  
“And tea.”  
“And tea,” Dean repeated, laughing as more bees started appearing from the hive.

Suddenly, the hive disappeared, leaving Dean and Castiel alone in the front yard. The black-haired boy gripped onto Dean, getting his attention, “Did you hear me?”  
“You said something?” Dean asked.  
“Yes, I asked if we would be friends forever?”  
“Of course! You read my card, didn’t you?”  
Castiel nodded, loosening his hold on his friend, “We can grow old together and never ever fight.”  
“We can be best friends forever and ever!” Dean cheered, jumping around. Castiel joined him, laughing before laying on his back in the grass, “We will always be friends, Dean.”  
Dean nodded. They’d always be friends.


End file.
